1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus for cleaning/disinfecting an endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
At a time of cleaning/disinfecting an endoscope using an endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus, an operator first opens a lid portion of the endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus, accommodates a used endoscope in a cleaning/disinfecting tank and connects various tubes to a pipe sleeve of the endoscope, and, after that, the operator closes the lid portion and presses a start button.
After that, a cleaning/disinfecting process starts. After a predetermined time period elapses, the cleaning/disinfecting process ends. Lastly, the operator opens the lid portion and takes out the cleaned/disinfected endoscope.
Here, in the cleaning/disinfecting process described above, after the used endoscope is accommodated in the cleaning/disinfecting tank, and the lid portion is closed, the endoscope may be left as it is for a long time without the start button being pressed.
In this case, there is a possibility that an operator different from the operator who accommodated the endoscope in the cleaning/disinfecting tank opens the lid portion and takes out the endoscope which has not been cleaned/disinfected. Therefore, there has been a demand for a function of informing the operator who has taken out the endoscope from the cleaning/disinfecting tank that the endoscope has not been cleaned/disinfected.
In view of such a situation, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-235793 discloses a system in which, by an endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus having a function of transmitting information to the effect that an endoscope has been cleaned/disinfected to the endoscope after a cleaning/disinfecting process ends, and a microcomputer in a processor having a function of, when an endoscope is connected to the processor in an operating room at a time of using the endoscope, receiving the information whether the endoscope has been cleaned/disinfected or not from the endoscope, and giving a warning if an endoscope which has not been cleaned/disinfected is connected, an operator is informed that an endoscope has not been cleaned/disinfected.